Mars Science Laboratory's Dust Removal Tool

摘要

The Dust Removal Tool (DRT) is designed to expose the natural surfaces of Martian rocks obscured by layers of dust deposited by aeolian processes. The DRT, contained within a cylinder 154-mm long and 102-mm in diameter, has a mass of 925 grams. Using a single brushless DC motor, the DRT removes dust from an area 45 mm in diameter. During the dust removal process, a set of brushes articulate to maintain surface contact as they rotate at high speed. The DRT belongs to a special class of aerospace mechanisms designed to interact with unstructured extraterrestrial surface objects and environments. The wide range of rock surface characteristics along with severe resource constraints makes the DRT solution non-trivial. The mechanism features a high reduction single-stage planetary gear box and pivoting brushes that both offered lessons learned. The flight unit DRT was integrated with the MSL rover in early 2011 and is currently on track to begin surface operations at Mars' Gale Crater in August 2012.